Royal navy destroyer buzzed by 17 'hostile' Russian fighter jets

Dramatic footage of 17 "hostile" Russian fighters buzzing a UK warship off the coast of Crimea has been revealed for the first time, with the incident described as the most intense encounter between Russia and NATO forces in 25 years.

HMS Duncan, a $1.7 billion Type 45 Destroyer, was leading a NATO fleet through the Black Sea when a mix of Russian fighter jets and fighter bombers repeatedly swarmed the vessel at incredible speeds.

The Russian fighters flew so close to the destroyer it was feared the ship's high-powered radar could have malfunctioned the jets' computer systems and caused a fatal crash.

A mix of Russian jets and fighter bombers buzzed the HMS Duncan. (Supplied.)

In the footage, filmed in May and obtained by UK broadcaster Channel 5, Russian jets scream past the HMS Duncan - at times less than 200 metres away. Multiple planes bank around the ship.

Inside the HMS Duncan's command post, Commodore Mike Utley tries to establish if the Russians are there to attack or intimidate.

It is clear the Russian fighters do not want the HMS Duncan to sail any closer to the Crimean coast, near the airbase they took off from minutes earlier, around 50km away.

Commodore Utley said the show of force from Russia was indicative of increased tensions in Crimea.

Radar operators tracked the Russian jets after they scrambled from an airbase in Crimea. (Supplied)Commodore Utley was concerned the HMS Duncan's radar could immobilise the fighters' computer systems, as they were flying so close to the vessel. (Supplied)

On Monday Russia's coast guard opened fire on and seized three of Ukraine's vessels, wounding two crew members, after a tense standoff in the Black Sea near the Crimean Peninsula.

Russia blamed Ukraine for provoking the incident, which sharply escalated tensions that have been growing between the two countries since Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Vladimir Putin's military has worked steadily to bolster its zone of control around the peninsula.

Earlier in the day, Russia and Ukraine traded accusations over a separate incident involving the same vessels, prompting Moscow to block passage through the narrow Kerch Strait, which separates the peninsula from the Russian mainland.

The Ukrainian navy said two of its gunboats were struck and Russian crews boarded and seized them and an accompanying tugboat.